Doodle-Track Car. Who needs to build a Hot Wheels track on the carpet? This $17.95 toy works in a deceptively simple fashion. The kid draws the track; the car follows. Nancy Johnson Horn/Flickr Creative Commons

Doodle-Track Car. Who needs to build a Hot Wheels track on the carpet? This $17.95 toy works in a deceptively simple fashion. The kid draws the track; the car follows. Nancy Johnson Horn/Flickr Creative Commons

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. The robots went tiny with an update in the 2000s. Now Bolt Crusher Bog and Gear Grinder Greg need energy level indicators that decline with each jaw-rattling blow. merfam/Flickr

Battleship. The children's favorite has been updated with deluxe electronic editions, which takes those pesky, easy-to-lose red pieces out of the pictures. Kid geeks demand nautical charts! derekGavey/Flickr